Local media covers the launch of the IIM 2022 report

´The industrial sector in Mozambique remains stagnant, and with a bleak outlook´. This was the main message echoed by the Mozambican media when covering the launch of the final report of the Survey of Mozambican Manufacturing Firms (Inquérito às Indústrias Manufatureiras) 2022 (IIM 2022). 

The IIM 2022 report documents the evolution of manufacturing sector companies over the last decade, covering the main urban areas of seven provinces, namely Maputo City, Maputo Province, Gaza, Sofala, Manica, Tete and Nampula. 

One of the key messages quoted by the media was that despite a decades-long focus on industrial sector enterprises in Mozambique, very little has been achieved in terms of industrialization and structural change. ‘Apart from a few large industrial projects, most companies are concentrated in the same industries and do basic manual work without adding much value. Most micro-enterprises seem to be stuck in a low-level equilibrium, from which it is a challenge to escape,’ O.Económico reported on the launch event presentation. ‘Consequently, the overall picture is rather bleak,’ it concludes. Various media noted also the reduction of jobs in the manufacturing sector during the past 10 years. This is considered worrying in a country with a growing young population.

To counter the situation, the media referred to reducing the number and costs of licenses and inspections required for companies and deepening value chains that will allow companies to specialize and cooperate, both mentioned as policy recommendations in the IIM 2022 report. Various articles reiterated the key message from the launch event that the manufacturing sector continues to play a potentially instrumental role for economic growth in Mozambique.

The launch event of the IIM 2022 report was held in a hybrid mode on 6 July 2023 at the Hotel Meliá Maputo Sky in Maputo, Mozambique. It brought together a wide audience including policymakers, private sector representatives, academics, development partners, and civil society representatives to discuss the results of the survey. The launch event was covered by various local media outlets, including Jornal da Comunidade of the University of Eduardo Mondlane, Jornal O Económico, Camaraman, and Profile, and it featured on the website of the Ministry of Economy and Finance.